And here we have the conclusion of Suna's arc. I had a lot of fun writing this, and even now, just before posting it, I was still tinkering on it. Rewriting some of the dialogue.
A big thank you to:
Side-man, Zero Arashi, Tbaals, 21x, Uzumaki wisnu, Tsunami kid, Jack el destripador 2-0, A220, Kuro blood, Kingyamyam, Nachonicolini98, and Bumblebee504.
For the awesome reviewers:
Nithi Velu: Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad to you enjoyed the last chapter! I hope you'll enjoy this one as well!
Reedz22: I can't spoil anything, but I'm glad you're enjoying Micheru's character! I hope this chapter will live up to your expectations!
Alright, let's do this! Enjoy!
update 03-23: I've made some minor adjustments to the second half of the chapter. It's not neccesary to reread it, but I do recommend it.
Chapter 38: A final stand
Naruto watched as his summon disappeared with a puff of smoke. With a heavy heart he turned to his fellow hunter. Her dirt ridden face was streaked with quiet tears but regardless she turned to meet his gaze. "If we're going to die, let's take as many of them with us as we can."
"Couldn't have said it any better."
The two regrouped with the others and as a group they walked to the front where the remaining defenders were making the final preparations. To their far right was Gaara who was looking exhausted.
'I understand his reasoning, but he should've known better.'
"The barrier is about to fall. Prepare for battle."
Naruto unsheathed his katana and held it loosely in his hands, the tip of the blade hovering inches above the ground. "This is it." He softly spoke, looking at the enemy horde at the other side. A sea of red glowing eyes.
The barrier broke and they tensed up, expecting a rush of Reavers. Instead, no one came, they just kept standing there.
The tall figure of Kenpachi stepped forward. He looked at the army of shinobi in front of him and chuckled. "You have fought admirably shinobi, and you have earned my respect for that. Prepare to die." Kenpachi locked eyes with Naruto, slightly shifting his body towards him.
Naruto stepped forward and for the last time, he activated his demonic chakra. Letting it blast towards the Reavers. His hand turned into a gruesome claw, ticking with his blade on the hard ground below. "Let's dance."
Kenpachi glared at the blonde. "I will break you."
Naruto gave one glance to Micheru, giving her a small smile. "Take care."
Before she could react, Naruto and Kenpachi charged forward and met in the middle, his clawed fist slammed into Kenpachi's. a surge of pain erupting on the point of impact. Swiftly creating hand-signs with his free hand he tried sending forth a blast of fire but before he could, Kenpachi grabbed his arm and swung him around to gain momentum and tossed the blonde away.
Kenpachi followed with flashstep and slammed his fist into the Hunter, pummeling him into a building and out the other end.
"Kami! How could he possess such speed?!" One shouted amidst the other loud chattering.
Micheru looked at the fight with worry but turned her gaze to the more immediate threat.
With their lord having initiated the assault, the Reavers charged forwards themselves, engaging in a desperate clash.
Naruto roared in pain as he came tumbling out the other building. Waving through a flurry of hand signs he quickly retaliated. "Fūton: Renkūdan!" an air bullet blasted forward and slammed into the building with tremendous power, causing the building to collapse.
Kenpachi appeared next to the blonde and swung his fist. Naruto barely had time to let himself drop to the ground, producing a quick burst of chakra to create distance between him and his opponent.
Breathing heavily, he pushed himself off the ground, and charged forward. Slamming his fist in Kenpachi's face, he swiftly followed up with a high kick to the same spot. The Reaver grunted and skid backwards but retaliated with a kick to Naruto's chest who barely had time to put up a cross guard.
He flew back a few feet, coming to an unsteady halt, rubbing his chest as he tried to alleviate the pain.
With a roar, Kenpachi sent forth a wave of red chakra, rushing towards Naruto with great speed.
Letting out a wave of chakra himself, he desperately tried to overpower Kenpachi's attack but felt his defense being pushed back little by little.
All of a sudden, the red wave of chakra lost its strength and he swiftly overpowered it, sending it up into the morning sky, where it would do the least amount of damage.
Itachi stood where Kenpachi was standing earlier. The Uchiha had planted both feet in the side of the Reaver's head, full force. He gave the blonde a nod which he returned with gratitude.
Naruto walked over and stood beside his friend. "You ready to kill him?"
Itachi who had only seen the transformation once or twice glanced at him for a second. "Sounds like a good plan."
Kenpachi came charging forward and both Naruto and Itachi faced him head-on, barely sidestepping the first attack and countering with one of their own. He grabbed both attacks with his bare hands and pulled them towards him, quickly grasping both their heads and slamming them into the concrete road.
Itachi struck with a kunai, slicing open Kenpachi's arm, forcing him to jump back.
"Chakra push!" Naruto roared and sent forth his attack, crashing into the overpowered enemy, sending him into a near alleyway.
All around them they could hear fighting as the battle had resumed its clash, metal clashing against metal, the screams of the wounded and dying were just a few of the many deafening sounds that filled the valley.
"I'm going to try something new!" Naruto grabbed Itachi's arm and disappeared in flashstep. Coming to an abrupt halt just as Kenpachi swung his unsheathed blade. Naruto threw Itachi into the sky and blocked the blade with his claw, grimacing at the pain. The scales were effective in blocking such attacks, but it still hurt like hell.
Naruto didn't have the chance to dodge the second attack and looked with a wide eye as the Reaver hit him with a red chakra wave, at point blank range, sending him blasting off, through the building to the left.
Itachi came flying from above and jackhammered Kenpachi into the ground. A kunai appeared out of his sleeve and into the palm of his hand, trying to slam it through pierce the back of his head.
The near demonic entity on the ground sent a surge of chakra upwards catching Itachi by surprise as he too got sent flying away.
Kenpachi stood up, shrugging off the dirt. "Impeccable teamwork. Not that it will be enough."
.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
Behind them Micheru and Kakashi could hear a series of explosions go off as their teammates continued to try and take out the opposition's leader. "They're really going at it…" She muttered to Kakashi.
He too looked towards the explosions. "Let's hope they can kill him."
A blast of red chakra was sent into the sky before it dimmed and died out. "Fuck…That's insane." She reluctantly turned back to the battle in front them, which was just as important, if not more as the one behind.
For now, the defenders held an iron grip, and every step backwards was a calculated one. They never gave ground without a plan or tactic behind it.
Yet despite that, their numbers continued to dwindle, wondering how much longer they would be able to hold on.
She could see the defenders in front continue to fight. Jutsu were still flying overhead before crashing into the army behind but even those were becoming scarce. Everyone's chakra was running low and there was barely anyone left that hadn't used a chakra pill.
Forming a ball of fire in both hands she periodically sent a few of them into the army to the far back. Her body was full of dull aches that sometimes gave way to a sharp stabbing to her side, whenever she abruptly turned. Her blood and dirt-stained hands shook as she felt another portion of her already limited Mani* leave her. The pill had given her some relief, but that was fading.
To her right she also noticed a heavy breathing Kakashi. He too had used up most of his Mani, or whatever they called it. Yet the man still held a dangerous aura about. Apparently, he was one of Konoha's most dangerous fighters despite his aloof nature.
A couple of bodies were dragged past them by a few of the older genin, who looked absolutely terrifying now that the fight was getting closer and closer to its unfortunate climax.
"These kids need to go, Kakashi. They won't even make the slightest difference." She narrowed her eyes at the grey haired Jonin.
"You know I have-"Another explosion cut off what he was about to say. He regained his stability and tried again. "I doesn't matter what I say, Gaara is the Kazekage."
More red waves of chakra erupted from the village behind, destroying portions of the village, getting nearer and nearer to their position.
"Naruto! Draw him to the right, I'll catch him during his twist!"
"Get –"
They heard somebody crash into a building and out the other side and continued into another one.
"He leaves his left side exposed during-"
Sounds of collapsing buildings and other destruction drowned out the other voice.
Micheru and a few other onlookers watched as the fight behind them continued before turning their focus back on their own massive battle at the outskirts of the village.
x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
Naruto's body armor dangled loosely by the last remaining upper strap. His vambrace slid off his wrist and hit the concrete ground with a soft clang. With the help of an overhanging piece of metal he pulled himself up. His arm hung limply to his side, with blood flowing down, creating a small pool on the ground.
Itachi to his right tore his Akatsuki robes off and let it drop to floor. He dragged himself over to his friend and gave him a once over. "What now?"
"I-I have no idea…We tried everything."
Kenpachi emerged from the smoke looking slightly tattered himself. A few cuts and bruises adorned his immense body, along with some dirt and dried streaks of blood.
"I enjoyed this fight. You are good fighters."
The blonde popped another pill and slowly let go off the metal support beam. "Glad to see someone's enjoying it."
Itachi did the same and simultaneously sent forth a stream of black flames.
Kenpachi looked with interest at the incoming flames until he, at the last moment, countered with a wave of demonic nucleus, sending it away.
Naruto slammed his body into Kenpachi's, before disappearing into a flashstep, letting go off the Reaver mid-step, sending him flying into the large defensive wall.
He came to a halt in front of Itachi, where he remained standing for a second longer, until his legs gave out and fell onto one knee, coughing up a mouthful of blood. "That was to be expected." Naruto slowly said as he wiped it away on his trousers.
"Prolonged use of chakra pills will do that to shinobi. Continuing past this point is not advisable," Itachi held out his hand and pulled the blonde back to his feet. "But fighting this man is not something that's advisable either."
Naruto let out a weak chuckle. "He takes everything we throw at him and it just bounces off. I have no idea what to do now."
"I could use Susanoo, but with my diminished reserves I would burn through it too fast to have any effect."
Naruto looked down at his claw. Maintaining his transformation was what had kept him alive until now, but it was also damaging his body and he wasn't sure he would be able to keep it up for much longer."
Footsteps caused the duo to turn, noticing Kenpachi slowly walking up once more, a small wound to the side of his face was the only indication that he had just been slammed into a wall.
Naruto glanced at his katana the lay on the floor and picked it up. Lacing it with wind chakra he aimed the tip of his blade at Kenpachi. "What are you waiting for?"
The man appeared behind them both, slashing his claw, creating large cuts in Itachi's back before kicking him away.
Naruto wildly swung with his blade while twirling around but met metal which he couldn't seem to cut through. "Chakra-"
Kenpachi grabbed the outstretched arm and gave it a sharp twist, breaking the bone. He then tightened his grip, shattering the bone in multiple places.
Naruto screamed in pain and nearly dropped his defense. With gritted teeth he managed to finish his attack. "Push!"
Kenpachi once more got blasted away, earning them a slight reprieve.
Naruto let out a whimper of pain as he let his blade slip from his clawed fingers, gingerly clutching his broken arm. "Itachi…Itachi…."
he dragged his body forward until his legs finally gave out from exhaustion and pain, his head bouncing against concrete. "T-this guy j-just doesn't wanna die."
Itachi let out a series of coughs, trying to turn his head. "W-we tried N-N-Naruto-kun."
Behind them they heard the scraping of metal. Grunting, Naruto arduously tried to turn his body onto his back. If he was going to die, he would look the man into his eyes. With a groan of pain, he managed to turn and land on his back.
"You put up a good fight. But it's time for you both to accept your fate." Kenpachi had picked up the blonde's blade moments before and was slowly walking closer. The tip aimed for his heart.
"T-tell m-me. How d-did you get these p-powers." Naruto coughed up more blood as his body could no longer take the abuse.
Kenpachi inched closer. "What does it matter to you?"
Blood dripped onto his already blood-soaked clothing. "C-call it a parting g-g-gift."
Lord Kenpachi came to a stop in front of him and slowly pushed the blade towards his chest.
Naruto weakly lifted his hand and claw, grabbing the incoming blade and stopped it, mere inches away from his skin and heart.
Kenpachi tilted his head in curiosity. "There isn't a god. There is just death and the entity that reaps us." He slowly applied more strength and noticed the blade moved slightly, cutting open Naruto's hand.
Naruto held on and gripped the blade even tighter. "The Shinigami?" his voice cracked as his body wanted to let go of the demonic power within.
"All this entity…this reaper wants are souls, all he cares for. And when I offered him what he wanted, he in return gave me this gift. Along with the ability to turn others."
"T-then why not turn everyone?"
The tip of the blade pierced his skin. Naruto desperately tried to push back.
"Prolonged exposure of demonic chakra brings out the negative aspects of our pitiful lives. But you undoubtedly have felt that."
"That doesn't make sense"
"Demons feed off negativity, it's their strength. If you have had a life with no conflict, your body is not an optimal host."
Realization slowly seeped in, weakly tried to hold the blade off for a bit longer. "So…If y-you had a comfortable and peaceful life, y-you aren't capable?"
Kenpachi sighed in annoyance, sliding the blade in deeper, earning him a cry of anguish as he nearly struck the fatal organ. "You just don't give up do you? Everyone is capable, some just have to be pushed. Just like one of your villages years ago."
Naruto looked at Kenpachi with a wide eye. "You?"
"Of course, who else? Goodbye, Ghost."
Naruto looked at Itachi, locking eyes. "Thank you, Itachi"
Itachi slid his hand over, letting it rest on his upper arm. "Goodbye."
With one final effort, he pushed the blade down to his abdomen and let it go altogether, catching Kenpachi by surprise as the blade suddenly slid through without any more resistance.
Sending out a burst of chakra to the wall behind, he blasted himself up pushing the blade completely through, leaving Kenpachi massively exposed.
"As H-Hawke would put it…Fuck you!" he struck his kunai into Kenpachi's eye.
A terrifying inhuman roar erupted from Kenpachi, while a massive wave of red chakra erupted from the Reaver. The shockwave hit Naruto and Itachi from point blank range and were sent flying away.
.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
the massive shockwave hit the army as well and caused a momentary pause in the fight as both parties backed off and looked at red wave of chakra.
Micheru grasped Kakashi's outstretched hand and pulled herself up. Both were fighting together in their desperate attempt to stay alive. Both were adorning a series of new wounds, Micheru had a cut that stretched from her ear, down the side of her neck, coming to a halt at her collarbone.
Kakashi's vest was long since discarded and had a large gash that went down to his leg. His entire outfit was ruined, including his mouthpiece that miraculously managed to keep his face covered for now.
"New order. When the horn blows, retreat and make for the far wall. Our final stand will happen there!" the commander barked through their comms.
Wiping away the blood and sweat from her face, Micheru urged her body to prepare for the retreat. "You ready Kakashi?"
With gritted teeth he gave her a nod and lowered himself slightly.
The horn blew and simultaneously smoke pellets dropped in front of them, masking their retreat.
Micheru and Kakashi dashed for the far end of the village, looking around for their other teammates. "Do you think they survived?"
Kakashi looked at the destruction around them but otherwise didn't respond.
The fight that had been going on between the three had been massive, if the ruins were any indication. Entire buildings were collapsed, and you could easily see the direction the fight went, with smoke twirling into the morning sky.
"Watch out!" Kitase shouted from the far right.
They barely had time to jump away as the large dome of kazekage building came crashing down, catching a few shinobi by surprise, collapsing on top of them.
"Keep going!"
As their retreat continued, they made it to a checkpoint in the center, where there were genin standing about.
Micheru furiously looked at the red haired Kazekage who was giving orders to his siblings. She dashed over and grabbed him by the collar of his already tattered outfit.
Immediately Anbu surrounded her, aiming their blades at her throat.
She glared at Gaara, ignoring the imminent threat.
Kakashi landed shortly after and held up his hands in a disarming manner. "Everyone, calm down!"
"Kazekage-sama," She angrily spat. "Send. The. Kids. Away."
Gaara looked at her impassively. "I've given orders to Temari to do just that. They have no more use here."
Micheru looked at him as she slowly released her grip. "Okay…okay…"
"I understand your worry, Hunter-san, I am glad to see I wasn't the only one," He gestured to the Anbu who stepped away and sheathed their blades. "If you'll excuse me."
Before they could continue their retreat, a panicked voice crackled through. ~T-they've encircled the village!~
Panick struck her too as she looked around. "Hows that possible?!"
"This is it!"
A new order shortly after came through. ~We have been surrounded. Our numbers are too few to try and break through,~ The implication was clear enough for everyone to understand. This was it. The commander spoke once more. ~Spread out through the village and dig in. the longer we fight. The longer the far wall holds. You have made our village and Kazekage proud. You have made our nation proud. Goodbye.~
Micheru closed her eyes in defeat. She knew this was inevitable, but now that it was getting close, she could feel fear take a hold of her body. "I guess this is how our story ends. I…I wish Naruto were here."
Kakashi looked at her with sympathy. "I think you'll see him soon enough. For what it's worth, it was an honor to have fought alongside you, Micheru-san."
Micheru gave a sad smiled at the grey-haired shinobi. "The honor was all mine Kakashi Hatake," She turned to Kitase, the last surviving member of the Ame force in Suna. "Kitase. We only have met shortly before this battle…But thank you for looking out for me."
Kitase gave a rueful chuckle. "I think we looked out for each other. I would be glad to have my final hours with you two."
Kakashi gave him a nod. "And so, it will be."
x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
It didn't take long for the Reavers to break through the encircled shinobi. The fighting swiftly moved from the outer edge of the defensive line towards the center of their final stand. Sounds of fighting could be heard everywhere. They were fighting on the streets and in the buildings, from alley ways to rooftops, there wasn't a safe place left.
The destruction was immense. The defenders had been boobytrapping large sections, in an effort to create maximum casualties, and it was working to some extent. It had slowed the Reaver advance to the point where they were only sending in squads at a time, instead of their entire might.
Throwing a 'regular' through one of the few remaining market stands she cracked open his skull with a swift stomp and quickly ducked underneath a Shifter's wild kick. She sent forth a stream of fire and set the shifter ablaze before being blindsided by another. Kicking and punching she tried to free herself from the iron grip of the shifter that was trying to choke the life out of her.
Noticing a sharp metal object to her right she desperately tried grabbing it whilst also trying to push away her attacker.
"Fucking hunte-" he gurgled as blood filled his mouth. His body gave out and dropped on top of her.
With grunt she pushed the body away, dropping the metal fragment to the floor. Pushing herself to her feet, she stumbled out of the building she had been dragged into. Off to the distance she could see Kakashi fighting off multiple enemies.
Reaching for the pouch of a fallen shinobi, she swiftly unclasped it and secured it around her leg. Her trembling hands made it somewhat difficult, but she succeeded and ran to Kakashi, slamming her shoulder into the nearest Reaver, sending him crashing to the ground.
Puppets could be seen flying about, courtesy of Kankuro. He could be seen standing on a nearby roof, assisting Kakashi as well, killing off the Reaver laying on the floor.
"Where's Kitase?"
"I'm here!" he came to a skidding halt in front of them. "What's the latest?"
"The commander's dead, along with the forces in sector 22b. Which means…" Kankuro trailed off."
"Which means we're down to four sectors." Kakashi finished.
Kankuro nodded solemnly. "Any word on Gaara or Temari?"
"Last time there was an update, they were fighting at the market area. But that was half an hour ago."
Micheru never felt so disheartened before. Fighting a battle, you were inevitably going to lose was one thing. Fighting a battle, you knew you were going to die in was something else entirely. She lifted her gaze up from the ground and locked down her personal feelings.
In the distance jutsu could be seen flying, crashing into a large building, destroying it on impact, catching the Reavers underneath.
"What about the genin?" Kankuro asked.
Kakashi looked at Micheru with heavy eyes. "They tried to get them to hide in the underground section, but they got ambushed…There weren't any survivors."
Her entire body trembled in anger; hands balled into fists. She felt the need to destroy the nearest object she could find but eventually slumped down in defeat. "Have we heard anything from Naruto or Itachi? Or Kenpachi for that matter?"
The group remained silent, all sharing the same thought.
Closing her eyes, she felt nothing more than the urge to cry out in despair, to crumple into a ball and weep. "Okay…What do we do now?"
"To the other end of our pocket, there was still fighting going on. Let's group up with them and see from there."
The group packed up their stuff and slowly headed out, making their way through the destroyed village of Sunagakure.
x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
With a grunt Naruto dug himself out of the rubble, nearly collapsing as his body refused to move anymore. To his far right he saw Itachi laying, his leg impaled by a metal object.
"Kuso…" He whimpered, dragging himself forward. Grabbing a metal pole, he tried pulling himself up. The metal gave way underneath the pressure and the remaining portion of the building slowly crumbled down.
With scream of pain, the blonde rolled on his back and gave a meagre chakra blast, but to no avail. A series of bricks slammed into him and nearly knocked him out cold. 'This is it…I'm sorry Itachi."
"Hang on, shinobi-san. We're coming to help!"
Trying to look to his left he could barely make out the figure of a boy. "j-j-just leave m-me..."
Moments later three kids climbed on the rubble and started dragging him away, until they were underneath a canopy of ruins.
Trying to focus on their faces, he could see one boy with short cut brown hair, and two girls. Both had their hair tied up in a disheveled ponytail. They all looked dismayed, and it was apparent they had been crying, with dried tear streaks covering their grimy faces.
"You're the first one alive we've seen in hours, shinobi-san."
With a groan, he managed to prop himself op against the wall. "h-h-how a-a-re you s-s-still alive?" he whispered in agony.
"When the order for retreat was called. We tried getting away, but we got separated and we just hid ever since…we're just genin."
He pointed at them with a trembling hand. "Names…"
"My name's Kurata, and this is my sister Kamei" the boy said, giving a nudged to the brunette teammate, who gave a short bow, which felt very out of place on a battlefield.
The dark-haired girl spoke last. "My name's Amari. I'm happy to see you're alive."
Naruto pointed towards where he had last seen Itachi before he was dragged away. "See…i-if he's still alive…If so…save…save him."
The trio nodded and slowly left the 'safety' of the ruins and silently headed their way to the Uchiha.
Minutes trickled by but eventually he heard the shuffling of feet as the genin returned.
"Watch his head, Amari!"
"I know, I know."
They came crawling back in, with Itachi in their arms. "He's still alive, shinobi-san, but from I can tell, he's in a bad shape. We had to leave the rod in."
Naruto crawled over and looked at the Uchiha, taking in the wounds that adorned his body. 'If he doesn't get to a medic-nin soon, he's going to die.'
"We need to get you both some help…" Amari whispered as she peeled away the clothing, gasping at his wounds.
"I don't… think t-there's anyone left that c-can help us… "
In the distance a series of explosions could be heard, most likely tags that were placed in an ambush.
The genin went to work on Itachi and wrapped up his wounds as best they could before they used the remainder of their medical supplies to stem Naruto's bleeding.
Naruto felt an immense wave of guilt and regret take hold as his mind wandered to Micheru. 'I never should have taken her here. She should have been safe in Konoha with her mother.' With a shake of his head, he tried to clear his mind.
Over the course of the next hour, he managed to tape his amor plating to his chest, in an effort to keep it in place.
He tried to give his body as much rest he could, but it was a futile attempt. He knew that he had to pop a chakra pill soon.
Pulling himself to his feet, he limped to the exit of the shelter and looked around. At the far end of the street, where it connected to one of the main roads, he could see Reaver troops marching, presumably heading to the far wall.
Glancing over his shoulder he looked at Itachi. 'I'm sorry, but I need you.'
He moved over to his friend and sent a shock of chakra into Itachi's system, hoping to forcefully waken him up. Itachi didn't respond and he tried again and again. Until at the fourth attempt his eyes abruptly opened.
With a sigh, Naruto leaned back. "G-glad to see you're finally a-awake."
The Uchiha looked around, a grimace etched on his face. "D-did you kill him?"
"I…really don't know…I at least took vengeance."
Breathing heavily, Itachi tried to sit up but failed miserably and fell back down, only to let out a grunt of pain as the gashes on his back took the beating. "We tried at least," He looked at the genin. "Survivors?"
Naruto nodded. "We should t-try and get them out. It's over for us, b-but at least we c-can try and get them away from h-here."
Itachi slowly nodded.
Reaching for his pouch he quickly checked his inventory and frowned slightly when only two kunai and a handful of shuriken remained. With a sigh he looked at Itachi, a wry exhausted smile on his face. "I-it was a g-good fight."
Itachi returned the smile, nodding in agreement. "T-That it w-was."
With restrained whimper, Naruto pushed himself to his feet, nearly buckling under the pain. "Brats, I'm g-going to s-scout a-ahead. S-stay h-here."
Before they could protest, he headed out of their shelter and slowly made his way down the largely destroyed village. Suna had already endured bombardment during the first part of the battle which had destroyed portions of the hidden village.
Their battle with Kenpachi had caused even more destruction, but during the encirclement, Suna had endured the most. Barely anything was left standing. The entire village was one big ruin.
Looking around him, he noticed streets were littered with mangled bodies of his fallen comrades. He stopped when he noticed the body of a young girl, her hand still clutching the box of new canteens. With a heavy heart he closed her eyes and moved on.
Minutes passed by as he continued to drag his broken body through the streets, distant sounds of clashing becoming few and far between. The store to his left was blown wide open and he decided to use it as cover to get off the streets.
He slowly pushed past the counter, ignoring the bodies that lay strewn about. The wall that seperated the front of the store from the back was mostly blown apart. He stepped past the rubble, only to come to a halt. Laying on the floor, her body covered by rubble was Akemi, the medic-nin who had patched him up. He felt his legs give out as the grief and desperation could no longer be held back. His lips were cracked and dry and when he opened his mouth it hurt. "Y-y-you…" he shut his eye tight, gritting his teeth.
He hadn't known her well, but what he did know, was that she shouldn't have been here. She was too gentle to be a shinobi, at least a frontline-nin. With a heavy heart he started removing the rubble from her body. With shaking hands, he reached hers and gently laid them at her side before he reached for her eyes and closed them. 'I should have saved you…'
He remained kneeled for a long time, staring at the pale face of Akemi, his mind a turmoil of emotions, until eventually he slowly got back to his feet. He tried swallowing the lump in his throat, but to no avail. Giving her one last look. "I'll see you on the other side..." He whispered before forcing himself to turn around and walk away. A single tear streaked his dirty face.
Moving down the street, he would find bodies of the opposition from time to time, but it seemed that the Reavers took care of their own, or at least attempted to hide any evidence of their existence.
Walking through the alley way that would eventually lead towards the western part of the village he noticed chatter and ducked back into the shadows.
Waiting for them to pass, he remained quiet before eventually backtracking towards their shelter. So far it was quiet in their area, which was what they sorely needed.
He lost his footing when a piece of rubble rolled away from under his feet, smacking face first on to the concrete ruin. Groaning he tried to get up, only to be met with the eyes of a dead chunin. "Kuso…" he silently swore as he felt his chest filling with sorrow once more.
In front of him lay the kid that was making pictures of their squad and the rest of the defensive force throughout the night, his camera still tightly clasped in his hands.'
'This should be our memoriam.'
Gritting his teeth, he looked away but not before reaching for the camera and removing the roll from the inside, pocketing it.
x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
She stared into the cold still eyes of a man she had considered one of her closest friends. "Raipa…" She held his cold hand in hers. "This isn't fair…" She murmured. The need for crying had long since been spent. Too many of her friends and comrades had fallen tonight and before the hour was done, so would she.
Kisame silently stood off to the side, his cocky behavior nowhere to be seen. "He was a good fighter. We were the last ones standing in the eastern part. We got overwhelmed. I survived by a stroke of luck."
"What about the immortals?" Kakashi asked.
"They took on Kenpachi. That blast from earlier? That was them being taken out."
"If Itachi and Naruto couldn't, why would they even try?" The huntress hoarsely whispered.
"They thought that the fight might've weakened him…They were wrong."
"Four S-ranked shinobi…and he walked away without a scratch." Kankuro muttered.
"I wouldn't say without a scratch."
The group looked to the newcomer and were taken aback by Kenpachi's sudden appearance. In his hands he held the head of Kakuzu.
"The other one was talkative. Even after I decapitated him, which I found interesting," He tossed the head towards the small group of survivors. "Despite his boasting of immortality, he died all the same. Disintegration works."
Kisame looked down at the head of Kakuzu and bared his teeth. "I'm going to tear you apart."
Kenpachi's head was wrapped in bloody bandages, covering one of his eyes. He tilted it in amusement all the same. "Many of your brethren have tried. They all failed."
"They got close enough!" Micheru snarled at the man. With an aching body she slowly stood up, gently laying the hand of Raipa beside him.
"You mean my eye? Your Hunter friend did this. Paid the ultimate price for it."
She had known, despite the lack of info…she had known. Regardless, she felt an immense wave of agony crash into her at the revelation. She slowly looked at Kakashi, who looked just as grief-stricken as she was. The image of Naruto popped up front her. Tears dripped onto the sand. 'Naruto…'
"Then we'll succeed, where they've failed!" Kankuro barked, calling his puppets forth. The anger he felt was immense, clouding his judgement.
in a blink, Kenpachi had crossed the distance between them and killed the first member, Kankuro. His demonic claw ripped straight through his chest. Kankuro's arms limply fell to his side, alongside his puppets.
Kakashi was in shock, having witnessed Kankuro's was brutal death. Anger threatened to overwhelm him. His sharingan changed and was suddenly ablaze with the mangekyō sharingan.
Unsure what his foe was going to do, Kenpachi quickly used flashstep and gained distance, assessing the situation.
Kisame sent forth a massive wave of water, crashing into the Reaver. Kenpachi was only mildly surprised and quickly countered with a wave of a along with Kisame, who crashed through one of the few remaining buildings that were still standing upright.
Micheru and Kitase both attacked from his blindside and jackhammered him into the ground and into the underground section below. Micheru wasted no time and sent forth a powerful fire attack, pouring almost all her remaining mani into it.
Kitase assisted by plastering multiple exploding tags together, creating one massive bomb and tossed it into the hole.
Jumping back, they looked at the crater in apprehension. If four elite shinobi couldn't kill the man, they doubted this would be enough.
Another humongous wave of red chakra broke the ground open. Kenpachi stepped out and pointed at the Hunter. "You're up first."
Charging forward he started with a devastating kick to her chest, sending her crashing into the ruin behind.
"T-Tipora!" A thin beam shot forward. Kenpachi used his superior speed to dodge the deadly attack. He grabbed her arm and used it to slam her into the ground repeatedly.
Kitase bashed his shoulder into the Reaver, sending him away from Micheru. The ame-nin grabbed her and quickly dragged her away, leaving behind a smear of blood.
He didn't get far as Kenpachi appeared in front of the two, but before the Reaver could go for the killing blow, a massive toad crashed on top of him.
Jiraiya of the Sannin had arrived.
Jiraiya's voice echoed through the valley, with none of his bravado. "To all remaining shinobi of Suna! Get to the nearest toad and hold on tight!"
The large summon jumped back, assuming that the Reaver had survived. Moments later Kenpachi walked out, looking slightly disheveled but otherwise he was fine.
The sannin dropped to the ground, right in front of Kenpachi. Perched on his shoulders were two small toads, Fukasaku and Shima.
Kenpachi rushed forward but was forced to block the incoming large blue sphere. The attack slammed into his claw and otherwise did little damage. He pushed back against the attack and quickly gained ground.
"Kebari Senbon!" Hair senbon flew forward and nearly struck Kenpachi weren't it for his flashstep that saved him at the last moment.
The second Jiraiya disappeared in a puff of smoke and the original charged forward once more, throwing his fist.
The Reaver stepped back to dodge, but was sent flying towards the far end, shocked that he got hit. "What?"
Jiraiya smirked. "Kawazu Kumite. You can't dodge what you can't see." He glanced over his shoulder to notice everyone was grabbing onto Gamakichi. 'good'
Kenpachi disappeared with flashstep and appeared behind Jiraiya, grabbing him by the side of his head and threw him away, towards the group of survivors.
Jiraiya came crashing into the ground just in front of the small group. "Take them and go!"
The elder toads seemingly hesitated but jumped off regardless. "Be careful Jiraiya-boy."
"Jiraiya-sama! You can't stay here." Kakashi said as he looked at the slowly rising Sannin.
"I need to find Naruto!"
Micheru's face briefly contorted in grief. "H-he's d-dead."
He looked at the blonde girl in shock, shaking his head in disbelief. "No…That's not possible."
"K-Kenpachi killed him." The girl whispered as she looked away, her carefully constructed dam, threatening to break once more.
The Reaver came charging forward once more, and this time more Reavers were joining the fight.
"Take them and go!" Jiraiya ordered while creating more clones. With the elders no longer perched on his shoulder, he knew his sage mode was limited to only a few minutes.
Shima reached for Micheru, whilst Fukasaku grabbed Kakashi and the others.
Micheru gave one last desperate glance around. Taking in the destruction of the village and the bodies that lay about. Shaking her head in defeat she let herself be whisked away.
x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
Naruto looked around in amazement at the towering toads around him. The village was once more ablaze with fighting as the remaining defenders, with renewed morale started making their way to their toads. 'Jiraiya…'
He tried to get back as quickly as he could. Reaching for his pouch he grabbed the last chakra pills and stuffed them in his mouth. He needed to get the genin to safety, no matter the consequences.
"Hunter!"
Looking to his right he noticed a small group of Reavers charging at him. "Kuso!" He sent forth a fire jutsu before quickly continuing his retreat. His boost in chakra gave him strength to endure the pain. Grabbing a handful of shuriken, he tossed them whilst dashing away, being satisfied he at least had wounded one.
The shifter used flashstep and crashed into the blonde, grinding his face over the concrete as they came to a stop at the end of the street.
Almost instantly the strength had left him. Elbowing the man on top, he luckily managed to break free.
The shifter jumped to his feet with a grin. "We've won! Those ridiculous toads won't change that. Your world will burn."
Planting his hand on the ground, he put as much chakra into his attack as possible. "C-chakra push!" once more he used his trademark trick to blast away. He soared through the sky, concrete approaching rapidly.
"oh- chakra push!" A second one did little to slow his descent and came crashing into village, close to their hideout.
He screamed out in pain as his wounds were ripped open once more. "I-Itachi!"
Initially he feared that they had gotten to his friend but after a moment of silence he could hear footsteps.
"Shinobi-san!" Amari ran up along with her sister and tried to pull him to his feet.
"We-we need to go now. Jiraiya is h-here, he has given us a means to-to escape."
Leaning heavily on Kurata, the Uchiha slowly came over. "W-we need to go now."
Slowly they made their way to the nearest towering summon. It was clear to the Reavers what their plan was and were converging on the large creature.
The large toad sent for a wave of water bullets, killing various lower ranked Reavers who were too slow to dodge the attack. "We are leaving in 5 minutes! After that there won't be another chance!"
"Ghost. Where do you think you're going?"
The blonde closed his eyes in defeat. Off to his left was a moderately built Shifter. It was one of Kenpachi's elite.
He slipped his arms away from the girls and got into a pitiful stance. "g-glad to see I-I'm being recognized."
"A dead man walking. Literally!" The shifter disappeared with flashstep and appeared behind the blonde, who had anticipated the attack and barely blocked it, swiping with the kunai in his hands, which the Shifter easily ducked underneath.
Itachi came soaring in and slammed his fist into the back of the elite, but his attacks were weak and did little to Shifter.
Grabbing the outstretched arm, he threw Itachi into Naruto and aimed his fingertips at the duo, piercing their shoulders with a thin beam.
Itachi rolled off Naruto as he desperately tried to get back to his feet but was jackhammered back into submission, losing consciousness once more.
Throwing the kunai in his hand, he grazed the neck of their opponent.
"Hold on Shinobi-san! We'll save you!"
The three genin charged forward. Each holding a kunai or a shuriken.
"Don't!" Naruto held out his hand, trying to get them to stop. "R-run to the summon!" Blood dribbled down his chin as he tried to order them to leave.
The Shifter turned and took in the charging youngsters. He tilted his head in amusement before charging forward, slamming his shoulder into the first genin, who was sent flying away into a burning building.
The other two looked in shock but didn't let up and angrily swung their kunai.
The elite Reaver easily sidestepped the attack and grabbed the young boy by his throat. "You could've run and lived; I will never understand shinobi."
With his free hand he sent forth another thin beam from his fingers. It pierced the chest of Amari.
Shock was written over her young face as she looked down at the hole, her eyes watering. "I-I want to go to my mom…" she dropped to the ground, her mouth still silently opening and closing until slowly, it stopped moving altogether.
Kurata screamed in anger and tried to swipe his kunai at the man but failed. "I-I-I will kill you!"
With a snap, the shifter broke the boy's neck and dropped him to the floor. "Where were we?"
Naruto looked at the bodies of the genin with horror. He pushed himself to his feet, falling almost immediately after. with trembling fingers, he reached for his blade before dropping on his back as his strength completely left him.
Planting a foot on Naruto's wounded chest he slowly applied pressure. "We won't be stopped."
His body completely spent, all he could do is watch as the Shifter grabbed his blade from out of his hands and aimed for his jugular. Looking towards the fallen bodies of Amari and Kurata, all he could feel was remorse coursing through him. He slowly closed his eye.
"Rasengan!" The blue sphere was slammed into the shifter was sent flying away. The blade fell besides Naruto on the ground.
"Kami, you're a mess. Can you hear me, Naruto?"
Opening his eye had never been this difficult. With heavy determination he cracked it open and looked at his saviour. "J-j-ir"
"We need to get you to Gikai. He'll get you out!" Jiraiya said as he threw Naruto over his shoulder.
"I-Itac-chi" he murmured.
Jiraiya saw the broken Uchiha laying on the ground near the blonde and quickly created clone. "We need to go before he gets here."
They neared Gikai, where a small group of defenders were already latched on. Around them lay dead shinobi and reavers alike.
He laid the two at the summon's feet, "Gikai, get Naruto and Itachi out of he-" Jiraiya reached for his throat as blood started seeping out of his mouth. He looked around with shocked eyes, gurgling as he tried to breathe.
Time seemed to slow down as Naruto watched as his godfather clawed at his throat, where the gaping wound was. "J-J-Jiraiya?!"
"Enough interference." From behind stood Kenpachi with an outstretched hand.
Jiraiya looked around and noticed a slab of concrete he found suitable. He calmly sat down, removing his hand from the wound, he let the blood spurt free. "T-take c-care Naruto." He looked at the blonde with a loving gaze before he stilled and passed away.
A devastated Gikai looked at the body of Jiraiya for a moment, as if he was contemplating to abandon his task and charge the killer of Jiraiya. After what seemed an eternity, he looked at Naruto and Itachi as well as the other defenders. "We have to go."
Naruto stared at the still body of his godfather. It had happened so abruptly, so unexpectedly. Jiraiya, the legendary Sannin was dead. This wasn't how the man was supposed to go. Jiraiya was supposed to go out in a blaze of glory, yet never losing that boastful and positive side of his. Gritting his teeth, his sorrow made way for pure rage. He urged his body to move but it refused to budge. Looking down, he noticed the pool of blood he was sitting in. His own blood.
"Uzumaki-san, we have to get these people to safety." He lowered his webbed hand.
Naruto continued to stare at the body, his mind a turmoil of emotions.
"You're dying, Uzumaki-san..."
Blood continued to seep out of the gaping hole in his stomach and shoulder, as well as various other wounds. His body which was already completely spent was growing even weaker by the second.
Kenpachi slowly closed the distance, in his hand was a spear of sorts. "I have killed your loved ones. Your hunter friend, your puppet master, even your Akatsuki allies have been slain by my hands."
Naruto's grief and anger threatened to overwhelm him, yet he knew there was nothing he could do. He locked his lone eye onto Kenpachi. The amount of hatred he felt was near unimaginable. One which was paired with helplessness. He didn't say anything and merely looked at the Reaver with intensity.
Grabbing Itachi's wrist, he placed his other hand on the paw of Gikai. The group of survivors disappeared instantly, leaving behind the ruins of Sunagakure.
x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x
With a puff of smoke, they appeared in Konohagakure. The smoke dissipated, revealing a crowded center square where the remaining defenders had been summoned to, being assisted by Konoha forces.
The number of survivors was pitiful. At the most maybe 50 to a hundred had survived. He noticed Gaara and Temari holding each other. They had undoubtedly heard news of Kankuro's death.
Every surviving member held the same hollow look. They had just participated in a fight that they had no chance of surviving. And yet they had, while all others had died. He knew what they all were thinking. 'Why did we survive when no one else did?"
Gikai disappeared once more after the last survivor had stepped away but not before giving them a bow of respect.
Glancing to his left he saw Itachi laying on the floor with various medical-nin trying their best to keep him alive.
The sight of Itachi nearly sent him over the edge. Slowly he turned away. He was barely able to get to his feet, the dangling piece of armor was miraculously still hanging by a small thread. He was holding the handle of his katana with the tips of his fingers, letting the tip of the blade scrape over the concrete ground. He took a few steps, trying to ignore his burning eye as his emotions almost overwhelmed him, and threatened to break free from underneath the surface. Biting on the inside of his cheek he slowly sat back down, resting on his knees. He breathed heavily as his sorrow continued to climb. The faces of Akemi, Jiraiya, the three young genin hovered in front of him.
The battle for Sungakure had broken him in a way Kenpachi never could. It had completely and utterly destroyed him. The piles of bodies that lay at the foot of the wall…the bodies of children who were caught in the crossfire as they had tried to run away. The body of Jiraiya and Kankuro…The three genin who had died trying to save him, of Akemi the medical-nin that had patched him up. Naruto's breathing hitched as he nearly choked on the anguish he felt. He gave a quivering sigh as he tried to stand again, stumbling as he slowly started limping forward. He had to know if Micheru had survived.
"Naruto?" He heard a voice say, which he recognized as Sakura's. He ignored her and he slowly walked away. Leaving behind a trail of blood.
"M-M-Mic-h?" he hoarsely whispered, trying to look around, his vision becoming increasingly blurry.
He could hear the footsteps of Sakura behind him but continued regardless. He had to know. He had to know if she was still alive.
Once more he whispered Micheru's name but failed to spot her. By now more medical nin were rapidly approaching and he could see Sasuke running up to him, calling his name.
"N-Naruto-kun, is that you?" a soft exhausted voice spoke. He recognized the voice and turned.
She stood behind him, a little ways off. Next to her stood Kakashi and Kisame. He struggled as he made his way to her, whilst she was doing the same. He let the katana slip from his finger and pulled on the thin thread that held his armor. They both fell with a clang.
He embraced her into a hug as his legs gave out, desperately clutching on to her as his body failed to keep him upright any longer.
"We're okay…We're okay…We're okay…" She whispered as she held her teammate in her arms. She let out a muffled sob as she buried her face in his chest, both sliding down to the ground.
From a short distance away Mayu was frantically looking for any sign of her daughter. "Where's Micheru? Is she okay?"
For the moment, the Huntress ignored her mother and instead tightened her hold on Naruto, her tears drenching the top of his shirt. "He-he said he killed you."
Naruto barely managed a shake of his head. The adrenaline was what had kept him going. With that slowly dissipating, he felt his grip on his consciousness slipping. "I'm s-s-sorry."
She shook her head as she pulled him close again. "W-we d-did what w-we had to."
Few of the others of the old rookie squad joined and watched in silence as one by one the defenders of Sunagakure completely broke down.
It was difficult for Hinata to describe the joy she felt upon finding out that Naruto was still alive. She had cried herself to sleep when she heard that the defenders of Suna would die, and that there was nothing they could do. To see him here, alive…Her heart nearly burst from her chest. "Naruto-kun…"
Shikamaru crouched and picked up the piece of armor Naruto had torn off, before inspecting it. It had massive dents and crack in it. Pieces were missing and by giving it a simple glance he could easily tell that the armor had saved the wearer's life a multitude of times. Dirt and blood spatters covered it, nearly camouflaging the original white of the armor set.
Hinata looked down at the piece before settling her gaze back on the blonde. "I can't imagine what it must've been like."
"Pray you never will…" An exhausted and hollow Kakashi murmured as he joined them.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelped in surprise, quickly turning around, taking in his injuries. The grey haired Jonin, whom was no stranger to war held the same hollow and exhausted look the other defenders had. His shirt was missing, and bandages were wrapped around his torso. His hands were continuously trembling, streaked with dirt and dried blood.
"What was it like?" Sasuke softly asked his former sensei, not daring to press the issue anymore then he already had.
"Something you can never imagine." He watched Naruto and Micheru for a moment before he pushed past the small group and disappeared into the crowd.
"Sakura! I could use your help!" Micheru beckoned for her to assist as she gently laid Naruto on the ground. "Naruto, it's okay. S-Sakura will p-patch y-you up. Just hang on, okay?"
The pink haired kunoichi swiftly ran over, crouching down next to the body of Naruto. "What can I do?"
Hinata joined Sakura and got a closer look at the damage that had been inflicted. She quietly gasped as she realized just how bad it was.
Naruto coughed up more blood as he felt the aftereffects of the chakra pills starting to hit home.
Micheru tore the already ruined shirt away and gasped when she noticed the blood-soaked bandages covering his abdomen. "I d-didn't know it w-was this b-bad."
"Hinata, I need you to cut the bandages away. I need to see the damage!" Sakura had quickly transitioned into her role as a medical-nin and started working on Naruto.
"I-I-I will…" Naruto whispered as he started to lose grip on his consciousness.
"Micheru grabbed his hand and held it tightly. "Just hang on, Naruto…please!"
"Micheru?!" By now her mother had found her and was quickly making her way over.
Micheru wiped away a brow of sweat, watching as they started working on Naruto. Blood dripped down her chin and on her outfit. She laid against the crate behind her she started giving in to both exhaustion and her wounds. Her eyes remained locked on the man who she had unknowingly fallen in love with. "P-please…Naruto…"
Mayu wrapped her daughter in a tight hug. "I thought you were dead!"
Micheru eyes drooped. After fighting for the entire night and the majority of the next day, her exhaustion finally won, but despite it all, she tried her best to remain awake. "N-n-nar…"
"Hey, Micheru?! Stay with us, okay? You have got to stay awa- Can I get some help?" Mayu gently placed her hand on the side of her daughter's face.
She looked at Naruto whom the medical-nin were desperately trying to keep alive. With a furrowed brow she started looking around, taking in the other survivors. It was as if she was looking at walking corpses.
'My god…'
And that wraps up the Suna arc. I hope you all enjoyed it! I certainly loved writing it, especially this chapter.
I do apologize for some of the off-screen deaths, but the chapter's already at 10k words and I had to make some cuts here and there.
Up next: The aftermath.
Mani is the name for Mirarca's chakra
Nucleus is the name for Chakra, the Reavers use.